


A thief in the night

by KuroKittyPurr



Category: Original Work
Genre: Arab Character, Canon Asexual Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Desert, Not a Love Story, Other, Thief, Treasure Hunting, arab world, originalwork - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 02:04:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19347325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuroKittyPurr/pseuds/KuroKittyPurr
Summary: The story is set somewhere in the arabic worldThere's this girl who is a noble but she's always been a sneaky kid so at some point in her life she started dressing in civilian clothes at night and became a thiefAlso eventually she (as the noble) gets the duty to catch this thief so she just messes around with everyoneOne day she meets a traveler and they have an adventure that will include stealing horses and running away from the guards and straight into the desertAnd no they don't get married at the endThey become great friends and eventually he returns home but comes back in the city as noble, they "become friends again" and he falls in love with her brother and THEY get married





	A thief in the night

               She could remember that first night, nearly ten years ago. She had been thirteen at the time. Her older brother had taken her aside and told her to get dressed with the clothes she was going to find in her room, then meet him in the garden. He had also told her to make sure no servant saw her – and so she did.

               The clothes had been unusual on her skin at first – she was used with soft silks, and the cotton felt rough on her skin. She put on the undyed shalvari, the green vest and the orange shawl, as well as the simple leather sandals, and sneaked out as soon as her servants were asleep. Her brother had been waiting exactly where he had told her he would, and he had quickly dragged her into a shadowed corner.

               “We will go out in the city now,” he said as she was taking in the fact that he was also wearing peasant clothes.

               “In the city? But, Ma’mun, our father would never…”

               “That’s exactly why he must not know, Addeva. Now, remember this thing: In the city, you should call me Malih. And I will call you Aaeesha. Understood? Under no circumstances should the people find out our true names.”

               “I understand, but why would you want to disobey father’s orders like this? He must have his reasons for forbidding us from visiting the city unless we are accompanied by servants…”

               “He sure does, but this will be my city one day. How could I ever rule if I don’t know its people?”

               “Then why take me with you?”

               “Because you’re old enough to see. Don’t worry, I will not force you to come, should you not like it. But I think you should give it a chance.”

               She had taken a few deep breaths before grabbing his hand. “Take me there before I lose my courage, brother.

               The smile that lit up his face then could not be explained in words, and it had been contagious. Addeva had found herself laughing with him as they raced hand in hand on the city’s streets, straight into a piazza where people were dancing on the music of a few musicians.

               “Say, do you want to join?”

               “But I don’t know the steps…”

               “I’ll guide you. Come on!”

               His enthusiasm had rubbed off on her and she had let him pull her into the sea of people. And she had laughed – she had laughed how she never had before, and a night was enough for her to fall in love with the city and its people.

               So it became their thing – they would sneak out of their home together, not as Ma’mun and Addeva, heir and heiress of the city, but as Malih and Aaeesha, brother and sister who were working at the palace.

               As they aged, Ma’mun had less and less time to sneak out, the heir duties heavier on his shoulders than on Addeva’s. He was no longer the dauntless 17 year old boy, but a prince who had to attend all kinds of meetings. Addeva, as a woman and the youngest heir, didn’t have as many duties, so she managed to sneak most of the nights.

               She bit down the last bit of the peach she was eating and then threw the seed. From the roof she had climbed, she could see most of the city. She knew that in that night, a rich merchant’s caravans were going to stop at a certain tavern, and based on the position of the stars, they were supposed to arrive soon.

               “Aaeesha!” a voice called from below. “Come with us tonight! There will be a dance in the blue piazza!”

               “I’m sorry, I can’t come tonight,” she apologized and jumped off the roof, landing next to some of her friends. “I have some business to attend tonight.”

               “Is it, perhaps, a mysterious lover?”

               “Cease, Faariha, there is no lover that I’d tell you about,” she answered with a smirk and looked up to the stars again. “I have to go, or I’ll be late.”

               “He better be pretty! And you better bring him with you next time!” the girl shouted after her.

               Addeva chuckled and rolled her eyes as she slipped away, her quick steps soon becoming an actual run. There, on the alley behind the tavern, she found the niqab she had hidden earlier, as well as her talwar sword. She hid her face and fastened her sword belt, then climbed on the closest roof and began her watch. She saw the rest of her band slowly get in position, each of them masked and carrying weapons.

               She couldn’t remember how she became a thief. At first it had been just a game, a way to make time pass when Ma’mun couldn’t join her. But the more time she spent in the city, the more aware she became of the people’s struggles, the more she realized that the wealthy had too much wealth, so she had decided to fix it. So she made herself known as Abaasa Lila, the Lioness of the people, and soon other thieflings reached out to her when she was sharing the stolen goods with the people.  
               Now, nearly 5 years later, there were about 30 of them. The city knew them as the Lioness and her cubs, but no one had ever seen their faces, not even the other members of the band.

               She heard the signal when the caravan entered the city and rested her hand on the sword. It was going to be an easy job – the street was nearly empty, and she had fed the city guards false information about where the band was going to attack. It had been easy, since her brother had given her the duty to deal with catching Abaasa and the guards were to check every piece of information she gave them. Still, she scanned the streets in search for any danger. Nothing.

               When the caravan was finally silent and the only two guards were dozing off, she flicked her hand and gave the signal. Two dark silhouettes left their roofs and knocked the guards out, checked around for any hidden guard, then signaled the rest to come down. Addeva jumped down as well and opened wide the doors of the first wagon.

               “Steal whatever you can fit in your pockets. Be quick. The people know you’re coming, so go straight to them and then get rid of the niqabs as soon as you can. Go!”

               And they listened. In just a few minutes, they had filled their pockets and bags with bundles of spices and fruits and even some jewels and were locking the doors to the wagons. They then spread all over the city to share the goods with the people in need, and were received with smiles and tears of joy.

               As Addeva was taking off her niqab and stuffing it in her bag, ready to return to the palace, a big hand caught her wrist.

               “Well, well, if it isn’t Abaasa Lila herself,” an unknown voice said.

               She froze for a moment and then slowly turned. “Why do you care? Are you going to tell the guards?”

               “Tell the guards? No way. I have been hearing stories about you. The Lioness of the people and her cubs. A young, fearless woman who steals from the wealthy and gives to the poor. I have always wanted to meet you.”

               “Who are you?”

               “I am Rahal, a tale teller and a traveler.”

               “As the name says, I see.”

               The stranger smirked and nodded, and Addeva straightened her back.

               “Yes. I am Abaasa Lila. Is your curiosity satisfied now?”

               “Not yet. Join me for a drink and a smoke, tell me your story.”

               “My story is not one to be told, traveler.”

               “Then tell me the stories of your robberies then. I’m sure some of them are worth telling.”

               “Fine, I’ll come. But just for an hour, I have business to attend. Follow me,” she said and guided him through the streets to one of her favorite taverns. They ordered ale and mint hookah, and she started telling the stories of her first robberies. As she was talking, she noticed that the man was wearing a certain coin as a necklace.

               “Your necklace. Can I see it?”

               He seemed surprised, but took off the thin leather strip around his neck and put it on the table between them. Addeva reached for it and studied it in the dim light.

               “Where do you have this from?”

               “A merchant from the city I have been in before coming here gave it to me. Do you recognize it?”

               “Have you heard the story of Cartouche?”

               “Cartouche? No, never.”

               “A long time ago, a white man came in our lands. He became known as Cartouche. He was a thief just as Abaasa, but the story says that he had some… supernatural help and that part of his treasure is in a cave somewhere in the dessert. Even if someone found it, they’d never be able to open it, because they need his coin for the spell to work.”

               “And you think this is the coin?”

               “It certainly looks like it could be. Aren’t you curious?”

               “A tale teller has to pick what stories he believes wisely. This one seems a bit suspicious.”

               “I have heard rumors of a cave that appears in the desert only in certain situations, when the moon is half fool and the travelers have not drunk any water for a day and a night.

               “That could be fatal in these lands.”

               “But it isn’t, if you’re careful,” she whispered smoothly. “I have to go now. Meet me here again tomorrow, if you want to hear more stories.”

               “Thank you, Abaa-“

               “That is not my name. My name is Aaeesha.”

               “Aaeesha. She who lives. A good name, for a good woman. I shall wait for you here tomorrow from dusk until midnight, then. I hope you will come.”

               “I will,” she answered and grinned. “I want to find Cartouche’s cave, and for that I need that coin of yours.”

               “And you shall have it, if the stories you’ll tell me are enough.”

               She just laughed and left, hurrying back home. The gardens were empty when she sneaked back in, and she met no one on the way to her room. She undressed and washed her feet and hands with the water the servants were always leaving her, then went to sleep.

               Did she really believe in the story of Cartouche? She wasn’t sure. But it seemed so much more plausible now that the coin had appeared too.

               The next day was filled with boring court work. She had to put on some of her best clothes and accompany her brother and father as they received messengers from other cities. As she sat up straight on her pillow, the way a heiress should, she couldn’t help but feel restless. She wanted to know more about the strange man who had recognized her, and she wanted to see if the story about Cartouche was real.

               When they finally had a break, she pulled her brother to a side.

               “Is this about Abaasa Lila?” he asked her with a glimmer in his eye.

               “Not really, although I heard some stories about her in the city. Brother, I need to ask something of you.”

               “If it is within my powers, I shall grant it to you.”

               “There are some… rumors I’ve heard around the city. I need to check them myself. I might be gone for a few days, starting tomorrow night or maybe even tonight. Can you convince father that I am simply sick and will come back to attend court business as soon as I can?”

               “Addeva, what is this about?”

               “I cannot tell you now. But if I am right, we won’t have to worry about Abaasa anymore.”

               “I never worry about her, my little sister. I only know one woman with the heart of a lion, and I believe she knows what she’s doing. Fine. You have three days from the last day when our father leaves tonight. I hope you’ll find whatever it is that you seek.”

               “I hope so too,” she nodded. “May I be excused now?”

               “You may. Be careful, sister. I have no one to replace you with.”

               “I will be. And we shall see each other again.”

               She tiptoed to kiss his cheek, then left to her rooms. She prepared a haversack with water and dried food, then she put on her peasant clothes and sneaked out, her talwar and niqab stuffed in the haversack.

               She wasn’t surprised to see Rahal in the same place where she had left him the day before.

               “I wasn’t sure you’d come, Aaeesha. I thought I would have to spend the night waiting for you and then leave in the morning, but you seem to have plans. Are you going anywhere?”

               “Only if I can get that pretty coin of yours,” she said as she sat down and crossed her legs. “I hope you’re ready to hear about the other victories of the Lioness and her cubs, for there are many.”

               “I am all ears, sweet one. Tell me the stories and I shall create the legend.”

               Addeva snorted and took a long drag from the hookah before starting her story.

               She was talking as if she was reliving everything, careful to always talk as if Abaasa was someone else, and Rahal never moved her glare from her. He was analyzing her words and her gestures, hungry to memorize every detail that could make the tale of a young thief in the night richer. He didn’t realize when hours passed, too deep in the story to notice how the people around them came and left.

               Without a warning, Addeva stopped talking. “I hear music. Come with me! You can’t leave the city without dancing with us.”

               “Who said I was going to leave the city?”

               “Fine, then you can’t stay without dancing with us. Come! It’s magical.”

               Rahal shook his head in amusement and followed Addeva through the streets and towards the music. When they got to the piazza, his eyes went wide as he struggled to take everything in. Men and women, boys and girls, they were all dancing as if they had no care in the whole world. Addeva walked towards one of the musicians and whispered something, then slipped a coin in his hand. As soon as the song was over, they started playing a rhythmed song, and the dancers seemed to get even more excited than they already were.

               “It’s the ballad of Cartouche. I thought you would like to hear it,” Addeva told Rahal before one of her friends spotted her and invited him to dance. She looked for approval to Rahal, and the man just waved to her.

               Her laugh was impossible to miss. Even in the crowd of twirling dancers, she seemed the brightest, moving with an energy worthy of her name – she who lives.

               “Aaeesha! You liar!” Faariha shouted in her ear when they got close to each other, but their pairs made them part again before she had the chance to say anything else.

               “You said there was no lover! And yet, I hear you’ve been spending your last two night with that handsome man over there!” Faariha yelled as soon as they were close to each other again.

               “He’s not my lover!’ Addeva protested, but Faariha was again too far to answer.

               She wasn’t sure how, but as soon as the next song started, Rahal was in front of her and they were dancing.

               “You’re a pretty good dancer,” she noticed.

               “I had to learn,” he replied.

               She laughed and leaned on him. The more they danced, the more she wanted it to never end, but she was determined to search for the cave now, not in two weeks.

               “Time to leave, Prince Charming, or else we’ll never find the cave.”

               “We should dance again when we’re back.”

               “If we’ll ever be back, Lioness,” he teased her.

               As if the word summoned him, a guard appeared from the crowd and grabbed Addeva.

               “Finally! We got that bitch that keeps stealing from every merchant that steps in our town. You’re not going anywhere this time, Abaasa” he nearly spit the last word.

               The piazza had gone silent. The people knew Aaeesha since she was 13, and they had known Abaasa for the last few years. They never thought the two of them could be the same person.

               Before anyone got to make any move. Addeva stepped on the guard’s foot and threw her head back. His nose broke with a satisfying crunch, and he let go of her.

               “Run, Rahal! Follow me!” she yelled.

               Before the guard managed to recollect himself, they had already left the piazza, and the people were blocking his way. He pushed them away, but still made it to the edge of the piazza too slow to follow them. Luckily, he knew that some other guards were close, and he knew some of them had noticed.

               So did Addeva. Afterall, she had trained the guards herself. So when three of them started running after her and Rahal, she cursed under her breath. She noticed two horses on the side of the road, fully equipped, and apologized in her mind to the owners.

               “Rahal! There! Take the horse!”

               “You mean steal it?”

               “Just do it!” she shouted as she mounted the closest horse and reached for her talwar.

               As soon as Rahal was on the horse, she dashed towards the city gate, and they were out before the guards could understand what was happening.

               Addeva’s laugh was pure and sincere as they rode into the night, straight towards the middle of the desert. Rahal found himself laughing too – it was long since he had last had so much fun.

               They slowed down, not wanting to tire the horses too bad. They weren’t the best animals to bring into the desert, but they were what they had.

               “A day and a night without water you said?”

               “That’s what the legend says.”

               “I hope you’re right, Aaeesha. For it would be a shame if you stopped being she who lives, and if I stopped being a traveler.”

               “Worry not. If by next morning we don’t reach the cave, I have water and food, enough to make it back. We will not die here.”

               “We shall see about that, I suppose.”

               They spent the rest of their journey in silence. As the night passed and the sun rose, it became warmer and warmer. Addeva put on her niqab to better shelter herself from the sun – Rahal was already dressed for travel. The second night came and passed without them spotting anything.

               “How much more do you want to walk?” he asked.

               “Until dawn,” she answered.

               Those were the first words they had spoken to each other since they had left the city.

               At dawn, just when the sky started becoming gray instead of pitch black and covered with stars, Rahal noticed it and pointed ahead.

               “Aaeesha. There, in front of us. Do you see it too?”

               It was an oasis and a cave. She harnessed her horse to go faster, and Rahal followed. When they reached the edge of the oasis, a jinn appeared from nowhere.

               “Ah, master Cartouche! You’re finally back home, we have been waiti- wait. You two are not Cartouche. How did you get this close to the oasis?”

               Addeva stretched her arm towards Rahal and he handed her the coin.

               “Where do you have that from?”

               “Your master is merely a tale now. We have come to claim what was promised,” Addeva said as she dismounted.

               “Ah… So it really has been hundreds of years,”

               “Most likely.”

               “Then, do you know of the test?”

               “Test?”

               “Whoever comes to claim Cartouche’s treasure has to prove that they will use it in a way that Cartouche would approve.

               “And how does that happen?”

               “See the lake? Its water is magic. Whoever dinks it and bathes in it can only speak the truth for a few hours. So bathe and drink, travelers. You must be thirsty from the way here, and your clothes are dusty.”

               Addeva sighed and remover her niqab, then her vest and her shalvari. She stepped in the water, then turned towards Rahal.

               “Don’t tell me you’re a prude.”

               “I am not, but I expected you to be,” the man answered as he dismounted, undressed and then entered the water.”

               Addeva dove under the water and then came back up, then filled her hands with water and drank. One mouthful, two mouthfuls, three mouthfuls. When she opened her eyes again, she felt lighter than ever before.

               “Now that you both washed and drank, I will begin asking you questions. First of all, what are your names?”

               Addeva seemed to consider her answer for a moment. “I am Aaeesha, and I am Abaasa Lila. I am known as a servant and a thief”

               “My name is Rahal, and I am a tale teller and a traveler.”

               The jinn nodded. “Good. Now, who are you through birth?”

               They both froze. Rahal was the first to speak. “I am Rashaun Fairuz, the youngest son of seven of the Prince Fairuz.”

               “I… I am Addeva Barakat, second heiress of the Barakat family.”

               They looked at each other in surprise and with prudence. What was going to happen now, that the truth was out?”

               “Good, good. And what do you want to do with the treasure?”

               “I want to give it to the poor people of my city,” Addeva answered in a heartbeat. “I want to use it to fund a better hospital and better schools for the children. I am tired of waiting for my father and my brother, I want to do something myself.”

               “And you, Rashaun?”

               “I just want to see the world and tell stories. I am not interested in the treasure – I just want to tell the story of Abaasa Lila, the thief who did everything for her people. And who, apparently, is royalty.”

               “Shut up, Fairuz, you’re in the same situation as I am,” Addeva snapped.

               The jinn chuckled. “You two are entertaining. I will help you, Addeva Barakat, and I will help your people. I will move the oasis right next to your city. You will go back into the city to get help to carry the gold, but I will wait for no longer than an hour. If you are not back within an hour, I will hide the oasis again and you’ll have to search for me again.”

               “Let us get dressed and eat, before that,” Addeva asked.

               “Very well. Get dressed. Eat. And then you have an hour to come back and carry the gold.”

               The two of them left the water and put their clothes back on, and Addeva took out the food she had packed.

               “I have a question, and it might seem inappropriate,” Rashaun said.

               “Ask away.”

               “How is it that you barely flinched when seeing my naked body?”

               “I am not interested in the bodies of others more than I would be interested in a statue. I have never…  felt attraction to anyone.”

               “Is that why you were so confident about stripping down in front of me?”

               “That and the fact that I know I can knock you out the second you try anything nasty,” she answered and bit from a piece of dry meat. “Now eat, prince Rashaun. I have duties to attend.”

               He laughed and followed her demand. As soon as their meal was finished, the jinn moved the oasis. They mounted and rode straight to the palace, not caring about the clothes they were wearing.

               “I need to find my brother. But first, I should change my clothes. Wait here,” Addeva told Rashaun at the gate. “I will be back soon.”

               She sneaked to her room as fast as she could, then put on some of her usual clothes and ran to find her brother.

               “Ma’mun! I found it. I found Cartouche’s treasure. But I only have a little time before it will go away.”

               “What do you mean, go away?”

               “There was a jinn, and he moved the cave next to the city, and I have an hour to go back before he leaves with the treasure and I would have to search for him again.”

               He nodded, understanding clear on his face. “I will send my most trusted servants, and then we’ll see if more are needed. You should go back now, and take a few of your servants with you.”

               So she did. Within an hour, she was back to the jinn. When he opened the doors to the cave, everyone was left speechless. Everything was gold. There was so much gold, it seemed unbelievable.”

               “Go on now, it’s all yours, Addeva. Use it for the people.”

               “I will,” she said.

               And then she did. As she had promised the jinn, first she made sure a hospital was built. Then, she made sure there were schools. Whatever money was left after this was given to the people – the whole city benefited from it. Where once were dirty, poor neighborhoods, now there were clean and modest houses.

               In the madness that followed, Addeva had lost sight of Rashaun. The prince had left the city, trying to digest everything that had happened. By the time he had reached the next city, the story of Abaasa Lila was complete, and he could start telling it.

               It wasn’t until a few years later that he returned to the Balakats’ city, not as a tale teller, but as an emissary from his father.

               “Prince Ma’mun Barakat and Princess Addeva Barakat, I come with a proposition. My city – Fairuz – would like to send some people here to learn with your scholars. In return, some of your warriors could come and train with us. I will remain here for as long as needed – I could become an ambassador, a guarantee.

               Ma’mun was a wise ruler. Since the death of their father, he had been only doing what was best for his people. So after a bit of talking, he agreed.

               “You madwoman, you really did it!” he told Addeva as soon as they found a few moments to be alone. “Addeva is not a good enough name for what you are – I liked Aaeesha and Abaasa a lot more. You’re more than a pleasant noble girl.”

               “And you proved to be more than just a traveler, huh, Little Warrior?”

               Rashaun laughed, “I suppose I am both.”

               “Just as I am all of them. But now, cease with this. You have to pretend that we never met before. In fact, you never truly met Addeva before today, and I never truly met Rashaun. So… join me and my brother tonight for dinner?”

               “I shall. I sure hope he is as full of surprises as you are.”

               “You’ll have to find out for yourself,” Addeva winked.

               She was impressed by how fast Ma’mun and Rashaun clicked together, it felt as if they were long lost friends. Things moved fast from there on – before the month was done, Ma’mun told her that they were dating.

               One year later, the whole city was celebrating a wedding, and Addeva felt, in her heart, that everything was thanks to her and Abaasa.

               “Blessed be the gods, for they have been kind,” she whispered as she watched Rashaun and Ma’mun kiss, and the crowd around started cheering enthusiastically.


End file.
